Stretching along Clear Lake’s western shore, the view punctuated at every turn by the perfect volcanic cone of Mount Konocti, Lakeport is the oldest town in Lake County, named the county seat in 1861. Most of the wineries and tasting rooms that have reignited Lake County’s tourism are south and east of Lakeport, but the town gets by on the old-time charm of its lovely lakefront park, Victorian-era buildings, amicable residents and the reassuring sense that life can still be simple.

The lake, naturally, is the town’s centerpiece. Born in a volcanic cataclysm hundreds of thousands of years ago, it has fish, game, waterfowl and tule reeds that sustained native Pomo, Wappo and Miwok people. American and European settlers arrived in the mid-19th century, planting orchards, establishing farms and cattle ranches, and mining gold, borax and mercury not far from its shores. Posh resorts began dotting the surrounding hillsides in the 1880s, luring wealthy visitors to the clear air and healing mineral waters.

On a warm day, when boats are sprinkled across the sparkling waters, a band is tuning up in the gazebo in Library Park and people from retired couples to tattooed bikers to young families with toddlers in tow mingle in the waning daylight, it seems there’s no better place to get taste of small-town living.

Morning

This time of year is prime time to catch courtship rituals and peep at fledglings among Clear Lake’s 300 species of birds. Morning, before the wind comes up, is the time — the earlier the better — and Faith, of Eyes of the Wild, is the person to guide you. She and her husband, Jim Shipley, have been revealing the secret life of the lake’s birds to visitors for five years now, and she’s excited about the change this winter’s rains have brought.

“I’ve never seen so many grebes this time of year,” she says, steering her pontoon boat slowly toward a gathering of the graceful black and white waterfowl. Clear Lake is the largest grebe breeding area in California, drawing photographers from across the United States and as far away as Japan. Faith is partial to grebes, so you’ll learn a great deal about them; if you’re lucky, you’ll witness one of their eight mating dances. But she also does justice to the osprey, white pelicans, bald eagles, great blue herons, owls, cormorants and even the fish that depend on the lake. The lineup changes according to the season.

Photo: James Tensuan, Special To The Chronicle

American coots at Library Park in Lakeport, on the edge of Clear Lake, home to hundreds of bird species.

American coots at Library Park in Lakeport, on the edge of Clear...

Midday

A late breakfast or brunch is in order after a morning on the lake, and Sanducci’s Cottage is the kind of place you’re always hoping to stumble upon when you travel: a family-owned restaurant in a building with a past, serving down-home cooking. Even better, it serves breakfast until closing time (3 p.m.). The house-made corned-beef hash is uncommonly moist, tender and spicy, and it is one of numerous unexpected ingredients that show up in the rotating list of Benedicts. Pastrami Benedict with pesto hollandaise, anyone?

Head to Library Park to relax awhile in preparation for your next burst of activity. As if the lake views, towering shade trees and beach weren’t enough, a gabled white gazebo and a classic 1917 Carnegie library (now used for city offices) make it an exceptionally pretty park. Dangle your feet in the water from the dock, or just enjoy the view from benches facing the waterfront boardwalk. For kids, there’s a sandy beach and a play area.

Photo: James Tensuan, Special To The Chronicle

The Carnegie library is the starting point for the Historic Lakeport downtown walking tour.

The Carnegie library is the starting point for the Historic...

Afternoon

The Carnegie library is the starting point for the Historic Lakeport downtown walking guide and map, available online from the Lakeport Main Street Association. It’s a pleasant, informative way to while away an afternoon, but be forewarned — it would be easy to spend the entire afternoon at stop No. 2, the Historic Courthouse Museum. Full of stories about hunting misadventures, diminutive sharpshooters, bandits and lawmen, it also sports a 14-foot replica Pomo tule boat — it has proved seaworthy in San Francisco Bay and other waters — antique machinery such as telephone switchboards and corn shellers, and a dazzling collection of Lake County diamonds. The 200-plus Pomo baskets include some as small as a pea, given to newborns for good luck. Visitors can peruse musty historical records (with the help of a staff member) in the courtroom, which houses more displays.

The block just south of the courthouse has the greatest concentration of vintage buildings, whose rather grand multicolored facades make a postcard-worthy image. One of A.P. Giannini’s Bank of Italy (later the Bank of America) buildings stands on one corner, now filled with high-end antiques for sale. Businesses occupying other structures include restaurants, the Soap Shack selling hand-crafted soap, the Pieces Boutique retail shop, and Don Angel Cellars’ tasting room, the only one in the center of town.

Evening

The long-established Park Place restaurant mixes in a little urban elegance with views of the lake and Mount Konocti. The menu leans toward Italian, with an emphasis on freshness: pasta, pizza, steak and burgers. The Gorgonzola bread is outstanding.

It won’t rival Las Vegas any time soon, but Lakeport doesn’t exactly roll up the sidewalks at night, either. The Old World Tavern, on the postcard block, will soothe your hankering for whiskey (half price on Wednesdays) or draft beer, and it has a full menu. Across the street, Logan’s is a classic cocktail joint.

It’s worth checking what’s going on at the Soper Reese Community Theatre, an Art Deco theater revived as a performing arts and event center. And there’s always the Lakeport Cinema (for the small-town prices) or Auto Movies (for the nostalgia).

When Lakeport’s free Friday night concerts resume in mid-June, that’s worth planning a trip around. The music may range from country-western to cool jazz, but it’s the mix of people, the warm summer night and the lake’s waters lapping at the shore that make it the best Friday night you could wish for. If you can snag a deck table at Park Place, that makes a sweet loge seat for the concert.